Transfer Horton is intriguing
Jeff Capel is if nothing else a measured man, someone whose public rhetoric doesn’t drip with hyperbole. In a profession in which bold declarations and boisterous language are heard as often as basketballs bouncing off the court, it’s no small feat.
That straightforwardness means that his words resonate in a way some of his peers’ might not. His praise is revealing, not something to be met with skepticism. So when the subject Monday turned to sophomore guard Ithiel Horton, a Delaware transfer, the words that emanated from the second-year Pitt coach were worth considering, bold as they may have seemed.
“I tell our guys that if you can guard him in practice, I haven’t seen a better guy in this league that they will have to guard,” Capel said. “If you can do a good job on him, then you have a chance to carry that over into games.”
When that league in question is the ACC, even in a subpar year, that sort of effusive approval speaks to just how highly Pitt coaches and players regard Horton. With those kind words, there’s an underlying message that’s equal parts giddy and restless — this guy can’t get on the court soon enough.
For much of the past four months, Horton has been adjusting to and experiencing life as a transfer. In adherence to NCAA rules, the 6-foot-3 combo guard has been practicing with the team, but he can’t play in games or travel with the Panthers. He has, like many players in such a situation, lived in the shadows. When his name does arise, he becomes a source of curiosity and optimism.
It’s an interesting and bizarre space to occupy. Horton, for his part, has been doing all he can — taking in everything that comes his way, trying to get better and making the best out of a sometimes unenviable position.
“I can’t really describe it,” Horton said. “It’s really tough. I’ve played all my life. To have them kind of strip basketball away from me, that’s what I identify myself with. It has been a blessing, though. I’ve been able to discover who I am.”
Part of the hope surrounding Horton stems from his one season of college basketball. As a freshman at Delaware, he averaged 13.2 points per game and shot 40.9% from 3-point range, numbers that helped him earn Colonial Athletic Association all-rookie honors. He had what appeared to be a bright future at the school, but he longed for more.
“I’ve always talked about this level,” Horton said. “My dad, I sat on the couch with him watching these type of games and watching the NCAA tournament. To kind of stop where I was at — I’m not saying Delaware was a bad place or anything like that — it kind of defeats the purpose of the whole plan me and my family have talked about all my life.”
That plan involved a bigger school in a higher-profile conference. After considering a handful of options — including Arkansas, where he was impressed by coach Eric Musselman and the system he was implementing — he chose Pitt, a program in what has recently been the best league in the sport and a place where he could make a sizable impact once he returned to the court.
In the months that followed his arrival on campus, the hope for what Horton could become only grew.
In practices this season, he has opened the eyes of coaches, including Capel, who said he has “been as good as anybody on our team all year long.” His outside shooting, as his one year at Delaware showed, is quite good, something the Panthers will be all too happy to get next season. His ball-handling has been better than Capel and some of his teammates anticipated.
“He’s really tough,” guard Xavier Johnson said. “He’s a good scorer. He can score on all three levels. I think he’s a pro scorer, for real.”
During those practices, he has inhabited a valuable niche. He often plays the role of the next opponents’ best player, from Louisville’s Jordan Nwora to Virginia Tech’s Landers Nolley II to Syracuse’s Elijah Hughes, the last of whom Pitt will face Wednesday.
“It’s really good,” Capel said. “It can also mess with guys’ confidence, too, because you can play really good defense on him and a lot of times this year, there has been nothing anybody could do. That can mess with some guys.”
Horton has approached that task with an upbeat demeanor, which has been especially helpful as the Panthers endure the scars of the four-game losing streak, and an uncommon intensity. During a season in which he is ineligible to compete against other teams, practices have effectively become games.
In that way, he has become something like Pitt’s version of “Rudy.”
“I go extra,” Horton said. “I go overboard. They don’t like it, but this is how I can help the team. I want to help the team so bad.”
Having to defend Horton in practice has, according to Johnson, not only made Pitt players better, but it has conjured rosy visions of what the Panthers might look like next season with him in their backcourt. He should, in theory, provide depth and balance to the team’s guards, giving that group a dimension beyond the sometimes-redundant skill sets of Johnson and Trey McGowens.
Those who follow Pitt are familiar with a transfer being continually boosted by coaches. Two years ago, as the Panthers endured the misery of a winless ACC run in what would be coach Kevin Stallings’ final season, Malik Ellison, a transfer from St. John’s, was hailed as the team’s best player in practices. Once he was able to play, he averaged 5.8 points per game before transferring to Hartford. He was undoubtedly impacted by the arrival of a new coaching staff with a different vision.
What exactly will Horton produce? We’ll find out soon enough.
“I never thought I’d be here, to be honest,” Horton said. “Now that I’m here, it kind of doesn’t even feel real. It feels like I shouldn’t be here. I always say that. I feel like I shouldn’t be here. That’s okay, though. It’s fuel to the fire.”